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Out-of-hours healthcare company makes dignity pledge

PATIENTS’ interests must always come first, a company running out-of-hours GP services in Worcestershire has pledged.

Harmoni this week unveiled its Privacy and Dignity policy to coincide with Saturday’s national Dignity Action Day.

The company’s national medical director for urgent care Dr David Lee said the new policy applied to all interactions between staff, patients and other people involved with healthcare within the organisation.

“This is an incredibly important subject as it goes right to the core of proper patient care, particularly when you are dealing with the more vulnerable members of society,” he said. “Our policy is not a lip-service exercise – it has been produced after an extensive review of how we operate and of public engagement to see what is expected by patients.

The policy states all staff have a duty to ensure the privacy, dignity, ethnicity and diversity of patients is respected and that any incident in which this is breached is reported. It also requires staff to attend training on the policy and integrate it into their daily routine.

Dr Lee said: “Treating all people with dignity is integral to the first-class patient care which we always aim to provide.

“We have also this month launched our Dignity at Work policy so that our staff can expect similar respect and consideration from the company. National Dignity Action Day is an excellent way of raising awareness of the subject and has our full support.”

To find out more on Dignity Action Day visit dignityincare.org.uk/Dignity_Action_Day